Think you need one more certification, one more year, or one more sign before you go after the role you want?

Think again.

In this episode of Ordinary to Badass, I’m joined by leadership coach and HR expert Traci Austin for a powerful conversation about confidence, self-doubt, and why so many high-performing women underestimate their own qualifications.

This is real, practical career advice for women in predominantly male industries who are tired of playing small, waiting to feel “ready,” and talking themselves out of opportunities they’ve already earned.

From a live coaching role-play to mindset shifts that change everything, Traci breaks down how to separate fear from facts—and start seeing your experience, skills, and leadership potential clearly.

✨ Theme: Mindset Breakthroughs + Visibility & Advocacy
We’re talking confidence, self-trust, and using smart career advice to position yourself for growth without becoming someone you’re not.

You’ll hear:

🔥 Why self-doubt—not lack of skill—is what keeps women from applying for promotions
💡 How to build proof of your impact so you stop questioning your value
💬 The simple shift that turns “I’m not ready” into “I’ve got this”

If you’ve been searching for honest career advice that actually helps you move forward, advocate for yourself, and step into leadership with confidence—this episode is for you.

🎁 Grab Traci’s Tough Talk Blueprint (link in show notes)
💬 DM me on Instagram @ordinarytobadass if this episode hit home
⭐ And don’t forget to rate + review—help another badass woman find the career advice she needs

All links for this episode can be found in the show notes https://ordinarytobadass.com/429/

Ever had a moment at work where your heart dropped… your blood started boiling… and you wanted to say something—but didn’t know how without risking your reputation?

...

In this episode, Marie shares a real story about finding out in a group meeting that one of her responsibilities had been taken away—without warning. From there, she breaks down why pushing back at work feels so hard for so many women in predominantly male spaces—and how to do it with calm authority instead of apology, emotion, or resentment.

You’ll learn:

✔️ Why over-apologizing, emotional dumping, and “silent yeses” hurt your credibility
✔️ How to advocate for yourself without sounding defensive or difficult
✔️ A simple framework for professional, strategic pushback
✔️ What to say when you’re overwhelmed, sidelined, or given unrealistic expectations
✔️ How to protect your time, energy, and reputation at the same time

If you’ve ever frozen in the moment, replayed a conversation all night, or wished you’d spoken up differently—this episode is for you.

You don’t need to be louder.
You need better language.

Press play and learn how to speak up without blowing things up. 💛

Click here

https://stan.store/ordinarytobadass for 8 scripts to push back on your boss.

Most mindset work assumes you need more motivation.

Think again.

In this remix episode, I’m bringing back one of the most grounding, steadying conversations in the Ordinary to Badass vault—my interview with Lorna Green, a yin yoga teacher and NLP master practitioner who blends science-backed mindset tools with deep self-trust.

I’m replaying this episode now because honestly?
I almost didn’t record this week.

I was tired. Bone tired.
And this conversation is the reminder I needed—and maybe you do too.

✨ Theme: Mindset Breakthroughs + Ambition Without Burnout

This episode is for the woman who’s:

• Doing the work but second-guessing herself

• Mentally exhausted from overthinking everything

• Trying to lead, grow, and show up without burning herself to the ground

You’ll hear Lorna unpack:
🔥 Why your thoughts only have power if you keep feeding them
💡 How to “take your thoughts to court” instead of spiraling
💬 The difference between reacting and responding—and why that matters when you’re tired

This isn’t hype.
It’s the kind of mindset work that keeps you walking—even with a blister.

🎧 Press play if you need permission to slow the mental noise without shrinking who you are.

Most New Year goal setting assumes you need fixing.
...New year. New you. Try harder. Do more.

...

Nope. We’re not doing that here.

...

In this episode of Ordinary to Badass, you'll discover a different kind of reset—one that doesn’t ask you to become someone new, but instead helps you become more of who you already are.

...

This conversation is rooted in one core truth:
Your next level is already in you. We’re just clearing the noise so she can drive.

...

Marie walks through what felt ordinary and what felt badass as she stepped into 2026—from falling into old business patterns, to releasing the pressure to finish everything perfectly, to creating a vision board that finally felt aligned (yes, with a little help from AI and a Walgreens poster print 👀).

...

You’ll hear how to:

• Stop repeating patterns that quietly drain your energy

• Use a Stop / Continue / Start reset instead of overwhelming goals

• Build confidence using a Proof Vault—real receipts for the days your brain gets dramatic

• Reset quarterly instead of waiting until December wondering where the year went

• Reframe “unfinished” as information—not failure

...

This episode is for the woman who:

• Feels organized but still human

• Is tired of beating herself up for not doing “enough”

• Knows she’s capable of more—but wants to access it without burning out

...

You don’t need a new personality.
...You don’t need louder goals.
...You don’t need to be harder on yourself.

...

You just need to become more of you.

You made it.
Day 12 of the 12 Days of Badassery.
...And today, we’re ending with the truth you’ve proven over and over again…
...

you are a woman who overcomes adversity.

...

In this final episode, Marie walks you through the deepest layer of your confidence: the hardships, losses, trauma, challenges, and long seasons of struggle that shaped who you are today. Adversity leaves a mark — not a weakness, but a ring of growth, like the rings of a tree that tell the story of every storm it survived.

...

Inside this episode, you’ll reflect on:

✨ The life-altering challenges you’ve lived through
✨ How you navigated long-term struggle and kept going
✨ The setbacks you bounced back from — even when it didn’t feel like strength in the moment
✨ The moments where criticism, doubt, or failure pushed you to rise
✨ The times you endured heartbreak, loss, or major transitions
✨ The seasons where you surprised yourself with your resilience

...

Marie guides you through powerful journal prompts to help you identify the adversity you’ve already overcome: breakups, financial stress, health challenges, navigating grief, family struggles, friendship loss, heavy emotional seasons, and the difficult chapters that changed you.
...Because these aren’t just memories — they’re proof. Proof of your endurance. Proof of your courage. Proof of your badassery.

...

As Marie says in the episode:
...“You’ve been through some hard stuff. And here you are.”

...

Today, you bring it all together — the fear you faced, the resilience you built, the expectations you defied, the growth you earned, the boundaries you set, the kindness you gave, and now… the adversity you survived.

📘 Grab your FREE Proof of My Badassery journal and complete your Day 12 reflections:
👉 ordinarytobadass.com/12

You are a living, breathing list of accomplishments, courage, and grit.
...Write it down. Keep adding to it.
...And never forget the truth you proved over these 12 days:
You are a badass.

Welcome to Day 11 of the 12 Days of Badassery, and today we’re celebrating a strength most women massively underestimate:

...

Your ability to encourage, support, and lift other people up.

...

You may not realize it, but your words, your belief in others, and your willingness to cheer someone on can change the entire direction of their life. And that is pure, undeniable badassery.

...

In this episode, Marie explores the quiet, powerful ways you’ve already impacted people — from coworkers you’ve uplifted, to friends you’ve supported through hard times, to moments when you saw strength in someone before they saw it in themselves.
...She also shares her own story of becoming a detective sergeant only because others believed in her before she fully believed in herself.

...

Inside today’s reflection, you’ll explore:

✨ Moments you encouraged someone who doubted themselves
✨ Times you reassured a friend, coworker, or family member
✨ How your support created a ripple effect you may never fully see
✨ When your belief in someone gave them the courage to rise
✨ Why helping others is one of the fastest ways to get out of your own head

...

We also talk about the myth of competition among women — especially at work — and why lifting others up doesn’t diminish you; it strengthens you, your community, and your confidence. Encouragement isn’t small. It’s leadership. It’s connection. And it’s one of the clearest proofs of your badassery.

...

Today’s journal prompt invites you to document every time you’ve encouraged someone, supported someone, or made life a little lighter for them. These moments matter. They reveal your character. They show your strength.
...They remind you that your presence in other people’s lives matters.

📘 Download your FREE Proof of My Badassery Journal at:
👉 ordinarytobadass.com/12

You're almost at Day 12.
And look at you — you’ve been a badass in more ways than you ever gave yourself credit for.

Welcome to Day 10 of the 12 Days of Badassery — and this one goes deep.
...Today, we’re naming the hard things.
...Not to relive them… but to finally honor the strength they built in you.

...

In this episode, Marie guides you through the challenging moments of your life — the seasons of stress, uncertainty, grief, financial pressure, breakups, parenting struggles, job loss, and the moments you didn’t think you’d get through… but did.
...Because the truth is:
if you’re here listening today, you already survived things past-you didn’t think were possible.

Inside this episode, you’ll explore:

✨ The difficult chapters you downplayed or forgot
✨ How struggle refined your grit, courage, and emotional strength
✨ Why looking back at hard seasons gives you future confidence
✨ The lessons each challenge taught you
✨ The power of asking for help instead of muscling through
✨ How breakthroughs often come after the breakdown

Marie shares her own story of training for her first marathon — a challenge so overwhelming she cried during her long run, questioned everything, and almost quit. Yet pushing through that season taught her she was far stronger than she believed… and that asking for support is sometimes the bravest move you can make.

...

That’s the heart of today’s work:
Your hardest moments shaped you. Your pain taught you. Your challenges built you.
...It’s time to acknowledge them — not with shame, but with pride.

...

Use today’s prompt inside the Proof of My Badassery journal to list the moments where life tested you… and you rose anyway.
...These are not “just stories.”
...They are proof that you are resilient, powerful, and prepared for whatever comes next.

📘 Download your FREE journal at:
👉 ordinarytobadass.com/12

Today, we celebrate not the easy wins…
...but the mountains you climbed when no one was watching.

Welcome to Day 9 of the 12 Days of Badassery, and today we’re celebrating one of your most underrated strengths:
your ability to navigate change.

...

You might not think of yourself as someone who “handles change well,” but your life tells a different story. Every shift, every pivot, every unexpected plot twist you’ve made it through?
...That’s resilience. That’s adaptability. That’s badassery.

In today’s episode, Marie walks you through moments you’ve already lived—moments that prove just how powerful your ability to adjust, grow, and keep going really is.
...From living through a global pandemic to handling personal upheavals, breakups, job changes, and those “I didn’t choose this, but here we go” seasons… you did it. And that counts. A lot.

...

Inside this episode, you’ll reflect on:

✨ Times you embraced change even when it felt impossible
✨ When you focused on what you could control and let the rest go
✨ Moments you broke big problems into small, doable steps
✨ Seasons where change was forced on you — and you still adapted
✨ How taking action (even tiny action) moved you forward
✨ The unexpected ways change shaped your confidence, flexibility, and strength

...

From navigating COVID (something even your grandparents never experienced) to stepping into new chapters in your personal and professional life, you’ve lived through a level of transformation most people never recognize in themselves.
...Today, you finally acknowledge it.

...

Your Proof of My Badassery journal prompt will guide you to write down these moments so you can see the pattern:
every time life shifted, you rose.

📘 Download your FREE Proof of My Badassery Journal at:
👉 ordinarytobadass.com/12

Your story is full of evidence.
...Today you’re finally collecting it.

Welcome to Day 8 of the 12 Days of Badassery, where we’re diving into the one practice women put off the longest — and need the most:
self-love.

...

This episode is your reminder that self-love isn’t indulgent, selfish, or soft.
...It’s strength.
...It’s fuel.
...And it’s the foundation of every bold, confident move you make.

...

Today, Marie explores the moments — big and tiny — where you’ve cared for yourself, honored yourself, invested in your healing, or simply given yourself a breath of grace. Whether it was therapy, a walk, setting a boundary, saying “I need a minute,” or whispering a kinder thought to yourself, these moments are proof of how deeply you’re growing.

...

Inside this episode, you’ll reflect on:
✨ The ways you’ve chosen yourself even when it felt uncomfortable
✨ How a little self-love can completely shift your confidence
✨ Why slowing down helps you lead stronger
✨ The small acts of kindness that add up to massive internal change
✨ Marie’s personal stories—from Weight Watchers to hot yoga intentions to becoming the unexpected dog-mom with a stroller (all because… love changes you)

You’ll also hear how one intention — “I love myself” — transformed an entire yoga class and became a new rule for how Marie speaks to herself every day.

...

Today’s journal work inside the Proof of My Badassery companion guide invites you to document the moments where you’ve shown up for yourself, supported yourself, and chosen to treat yourself with compassion. Because self-love isn’t just healing…
...it’s badass.

📘 Download your FREE Proof of My Badassery Journal:
ordinarytobadass.com/12

You deserve the kind of love you give everyone else.
...And today, you finally write it down.

Welcome to Day 7 of the 12 Days of Badassery, where we dig into one of the biggest sources of your confidence…
the obstacles you’ve already overcome.

...

And here’s the thing:
...Most women think obstacles have to be huge, dramatic, life-shattering events to “count.”
...But the truth?
...Your power was built in the micro-moments — the small, everyday challenges you pushed through even when they felt overwhelming.

...

Today, we look at:
✨ The obstacles you’ve faced at work, in relationships, and in your personal goals
✨ The mindset shifts and strategies you used to get through them (even if you didn’t realize it at the time)
✨ How challenges reveal strengths you don’t see until you’re on the other side
✨ Why “overwhelmed → action → clarity” is one of your signature badass cycles
✨ How a single boundary-setting email Marie sent changed the course of her confidence forever

From the moments that felt impossible…
...to the ones that simply annoyed you into standing up for yourself (looking at you, condescending contractor 😉)…
...these experiences shaped you in powerful ways.

...

You’ll see how facing obstacles taught you to:
🔥 Speak up
🔥 Adapt
🔥 Push through fear
🔥 Trust yourself
🔥 Build resilience you can now use on command

...

Today’s prompt from the Proof of My Badassery journal guides you through specific obstacles you’ve conquered and the strengths you uncovered because of them. It’s about naming your wins, claiming your growth, and using your past as fuel for your future.

📘 Download your companion journal
Follow along at: ordinarytobadass.com/12

You’ve overcome more than you think.
...Let’s write it down — and own it.